Disrupted!

She says, “let it be to me according to your word,” which perhaps means: “I have no idea what all of the changes in my life will mean, but I am willing to serve God in the middle of all of this disruption in my otherwise ordinary, orderly life.”

That she was enabled to say and do these things is reason enough to honor her.

She handled the disruption and managed her life in accord with God's promises.

What parts of her experience are helpful for us?

First, be alert for the messages whenever and where ever they come.

--Mary was engaged in ordinary domestic duties.

--Of course she was perplexed... as we would be also, but she kept on listening.

Second, she was willing to have her safe predictable life disrupted by the word of God.

Hear that again: she was willing to have her safe predictable life disrupted by the word of God.

Perhaps we should understand that if the word that we hear does not disrupt our routine, ordinary life, it is probably not the Gospel to which we are listening!

And third, react to that disruption with positive words and action.

Here we all are, sitting in nice orderly rows of seats, very Germanic.

Here we are, just doing the regular Sunday thing, but the story we hear today is not nice, ordinary, or predictable.

Instead it is shocking, surprising, and quite disorderly, at least from our point of view.

Why would God work this way with Mary?

Why her?...and why us?

All we can say is that this is the wonderful “just because” of God.

Today's Gospel reminds us that we are following a Savior, Christ the Lord, who dis-orders our lives, demands great things of us, expects great deeds from us.

What disruption will come to our lives this week?

When these sound waves hit our tympanic membrane, things just may happen, and our lives be made different.

When we hear and receive “body of Christ” in our hand, and reflect on that mystery, things may happen and our lives be made different.

When we look around us and see “body of Christ” with all of the problems that we have and also all of the resources that we have,

we come to realize that our care for one another here is the prelude for caring for all those outside of the body of Christ.

Our lives are profoundly different because of this realization.

The ordinary things are disrupted.

Two weeks ago we publicly recognized those persons who are on The Way this year.

We said that God is calling them and they are responding.

They, and we, are only discovering what that might mean a little bit at a time.

When Bob, or the Pastor, or some other Christian friend says “Do I have a deal for you...” the hearer cannot know what may result, nor does the speaker!

God has this intriguing way of disrupting and re-directing us.

Who would have thought several years ago that we would be led kicking and protesting toward developing the Family Promise work with homeless families?

Who would have thought that the Pastor would be pushed by a film-maker to be introducing people to the Gospel of Mark by way of film?

Who would have thought that we would be challenged almost at the last minute to provide presents for 25 residents at the Danville State institution?

Who would have thought that it would take the prayers and earnest conversations of a sister-in-law 200 miles away to stir a person finally to come and hear Christ?

One writer has said: “ If you are really in love with stability, if you have got to have your life always stable, you may not be too happy with the sort of Savior we are welcoming in Jesus.

There are plenty of people who can testify to the ways in which following Jesus has made them less secure, their lives less predictable.

Five months before Donna and I came here, we had no idea that we would be in Williamsport, and be here 12½ years so far.

I heard this week that the local director of the pregnancy Care Center is leaving that difficult work, to move with her husband to mission work in Ghana, West Africa!

One week before his retirement, Bob Schultz had no idea that the Pastor would show up on his doorstep and ask him to help develop the member-building process we call The Way, and that he would serve with me for 10 years in carrying it out!

If we would follow Jesus, we will have to go where he is going,

It may not be an easy road;

the disruptions may be harsh.

But it is the road of greatest joy, because it keeps us close to Jesus.

May we, like Mary, be given the wisdom and fortitude to say,

“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; may it be with me according to your Word.” Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.